Things You Do Want To See In Your Polytunnel

[redser]

Thanks a million, that's great info, and the book recommendation. I'll try plan my planting better and more varied next year.

[marchogaeth]

Thanks a million, that's great info, and the book recommendation. I'll try plan my planting better and more varied next year.

Don't wait for next year, start now!

Carrots can be started in loo rolls and Kohl Rabi can be held in pots for ages until you have space ditto cabbages like Precoce de Louvre/Hisbi and mini calabrese. All of these will either come before Christmas or hold over until early Spring. You could get mange tout and maybe even dwarf French Beans before growing stops, if you are quick (The worst that might happen is they end up being green manure.). I'm growing PSB in Morrison's bins outside and then I'm going to bring them in in late December so they flower before the garden ones and I might do some cauliflowers like this as well, even if they have to stay outside I won't have lost anything.

[allotment grower]

pumpkin..



this was only one plant.. protected by a family of toads .. they love the humidity of the polytunnel and keep the slugs at bay.....

[marchogaeth]

Amazing, but why?

[mrswadders]

wow....................................you'll make galloons of soup out of that monster!
pumpkin pies,pumpkin chutney,pumpkin marmalade ...............

[VirginVegGrower]

A toad and now a pathway...my polytunnel is settling in! Swelling celeriac too, but the courgettes are not doing so well in there...anyone else grow PT courgettes?

[Piggle]

I'd like to see Alan Titchmarsh in my polytunnel .. preferably locked in!

[marchogaeth]

A toad and now a pathway...my polytunnel is settling in! Swelling celeriac too, but the courgettes are not doing so well in there...anyone else grow PT courgettes?

What's wrong with the courgettes, V? Plant size or fruit set?

[VirginVegGrower]

Something is nibbling the ends and fruit setting has been an issue. They are setting now but I've put them on bricks to get them up and off. Normally I have courgettes on my compost heap at the lotty. I may go back to that next year. Just wanted them nearer as I nearly always end up with marrows at the lotty.

[marchogaeth]

Something is nibbling the ends and fruit setting has been an issue. They are setting now but I've put them on bricks to get them up and off. Normally I have courgettes on my compost heap at the lotty. I may go back to that next year. Just wanted them nearer as I nearly always end up with marrows at the lotty.

I know it's a bit controvertial to say this but you are on a windy site like me and I do really think getting pollinaters in the tunnel can be a bit hit and miss. I have lots and lots of flowers in the tunnel to encourage them but I still do everything else to encourage fruit set like misting/brushing etc. Last year I did resort to hand pollinating courgettes because so many were obviously not fertilized and just rotted out from the top. This year I used Parthenon which doesn't need pollinating (it goes against the grain to use F1 but I really wanted to be sure of a crop). I have had really good yields, it's fruited consistantly since the begining of July.

The trouble this year is that it's hard to judge anything. My outdoor courgettes have been poor, struggling with slugs and poor pollination in the wet weather. I have noticed that the flowers have been loath to fall this year as well, going rotten on the end which has encouraged the slugs to nibble.

So maybe don't judge by this year and think about a self fertile variety or be prepared to hand fertilize. (I'll probably give a normal one a go again at some point just because I think is right to do.) I'd always try and have one in the tunnel, though because outdoor ones have been really hit and miss for me - last year I had five crackers in the garden and crows came and attcked them just as they started to flower and they are the only crops I have mice problems with.

[VirginVegGrower]

Good points there March. I can grow outdoor ones like weeds. Popping them in a few inches of growbag thrown on top of a compost bin guarantees success and gets them off the ground.

[Alison]

A toad and now a pathway...my polytunnel is settling in! Swelling celeriac too, but the courgettes are not doing so well in there...anyone else grow PT courgettes?

I've grown courgettes in the polytunnel a couple of years but ended up with ridiculous numbers of fruits that went from teeny tiny to huge marrows within what seemed like seconds and the plants got enormous too so they took up far too much room. As a result I've not bothered this year and just gone without outdoor ones. Never had any problems with pollination of anything in the tunnel, there's loads of insects in there and I think the frogs / toads that live on the plot have kept the slugs population to a manageable level.

[VirginVegGrower]

I've grown courgettes in the polytunnel a couple of years but ended up with ridiculous numbers of fruits that went from teeny tiny to huge marrows within what seemed like seconds and the plants got enormous too so they took up far too much room. As a result I've not bothered this year and just gone without outdoor ones. Never had any problems with pollination of anything in the tunnel, there's loads of insects in there and I think the frogs / toads that live on the plot have kept the slugs population to a manageable level.

I'm not sure what's been nibbling them Alison, although we have been pulling out masses of slugs. I think I'll go back to outdoor courgettes next year because, a) they take up valuable room b) I think they fair better hanging down something. It was just the excitement of a first year polytunnel - I got carried away. Lesson learnt

[marchogaeth]

Thinking about this further, I am always ready to pull stuff up in the tunnel whereas I would give it longer outside. So for example, I plant the bushy cougettes in the tunnel for early fruits but if the outdoor ones were growing great guns I'd have the tunnel one out even though it was still performing and put in something else. Equally, I've got a reserve cougette in a pot ready to stick in to try and get the last few (well that was the idea - it's being a bit too reserved!). Checking the tunnel this morning, there's a few tomatoes that have got fruit on but aren't really pulling their weight so I think they might have to come out and make green tomato chutney or hang around and ripen.

I know Alison is confident of her pollination! I much happier with my insect population this year. My flowering dill is really pulling the hover flies in so that's going to be a must for the whole season next year. For example though, despite really careful searching (and plenty of greenfly at times) I have only had two ladybirds in there this year and they are equally scarce outside.

This is sharing experiences not advising, V (or anyone else really) as I'm only in my first full season of growing (garden wise).

[VirginVegGrower]

Ive plonked more brassicas in there today.